


Valentine Wish

by butterflycollective



Category: Matt Houston (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27568555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflycollective/pseuds/butterflycollective
Summary: What lies in store for Matt and CJ during that romantic day of the year?One decade after "A Glimmer of Twilight"
Relationships: matt houston/c.j. parsons





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Borrowing the characters to write for fun. 
> 
> Part of the "Glimmer of Twilight" series

C.J. woke up in morning and looked across the room to see sunlight already streaming through the window. She looked over at the clock and it read 7 a.m…meaning she had overslept. She couldn't believe that not when she had something very important to do first thing that morning. She looked over at the empty half of the bed, and then heard some clanging in the kitchen.

Meaning that her husband had gotten up and started breakfast, most likely a combination of omelets, hotcakes and plenty of bacon and roasted potatoes. Not to mention freshly squeezed orange juice, the man loved to make breakfast and she couldn't complain about that. She reached for her royal blue robe and got out of bed, slipping it on to get to the bathroom. As she reached it, she heard some running in the hallway and knew that her two sons were likely up and already beginning to burn off their energy for the day.

Gracie had probably been up bright and early, grabbed some oatmeal and juice before going out to tend to her horses in the barn. Her eldest was about to turn 11 in two months and spent most of her time with her assortment of animals. The boys, Royal and Ethan would be running around as soon as they had some breakfast food and go nonstop until nightfall.

Tonight they'd be staying over at Chris and Dan's house down the road, for the next couple of days while she and Matt took off for a couple days of rest and relaxation. Matt had to head into Houston for some work that day but planned to be headed back in time for them to head out to Colorado to spend the weekend at their favorite cabin on a certain ranch. It'd give them both some time to regroup from their demanding careers. Matt and Dan had been working hard field testing a new security system while she'd been spending time working on a key case involving trafficking heading to trial and teaching part-time at the university. But she'd been feeling a bit tired lately and knew something had to give.

She thought about all that while she headed to the bathroom to shower after taking an all important test.

Matt looked at the chaos that had whirled through the kitchen a moment ago. He had assigned his two sons some chores to do but they'd been distracted by Bourbon, one of the Labrador retriever mixes who had come to check out the cooking. So they'd chased the dog all over the house and probably woken up C.J. who had been asleep when he got up that morning. He didn't wake her because he knew she'd been working hard lately and she needed her sleep. They'd be flying out to Colorado later that afternoon the day before Valentine's Day to spend a few days with some old friends they considered family. The kids would be busy enough running around with Chris and Dan's three kids on their spread.

He had a meeting with a new client for their firm, actually an old friend from back in his university days…turned international model and then renowned fashion designer. She'd been one of his more serious romances back in the day but she'd gone off and married herself some politician in D.C. not long after he cleared her of some nasty murder allegations in L.A. She hadn't kept in touch much over the years and had just resurfaced. There'd be plenty of time for them to catch up during their business luncheon today. He'd be heading out to Houston as soon as the kids left for school, and C.J. had come with him to run some errands.

Christina had called him a couple days earlier and hadn't mentioned anything at all about her husband, the man that she had once called her prince charming. But just that she wanted to get together with Matt for old time's sake…and to talk about a security system for her new estate in Bel Air. Matt told her he would meet with her today.

A while later, when he scooped up some omelets on plates for himself and his wife after the boys had eaten, he looked up to see C.J. join him in the kitchen dressed in her sexy blue robe, her hair damp in curls around her shoulders.

"Coffee?"

She shook her head smiling at him.

"Some juice and eggs," she said, "maybe a waffle too."

"Sure thing," he said, smiling as he piled more food on a plate for her.

She took it and they walked with their food to the breakfast nook, which gave them a view of the outdoors including the garden. They ate together as they often did in companionable silence as he watched her, casually flip some strands of hair off of her face as she enjoyed her food. They'd been married for just over a decade and they'd been through so much together, building a life together filled with joy and challenges.

"Gracie get her breakfast?"

Matt looked over at her.

"Yeah, she had just finished eating when I started on breakfast," he said, "I think she's checking on her calf for the county fair later this year."

C.J. nodded remembering her own days in 4-H. Gracie had taken to animals from before she could even walk. She had a way with them that she had inherited from her father no doubt, along with his eyes. She had wavy dark hair that curled tighter when it got wet just like her own and was the smartest kid in her class just like C.J. had been as a child. But she shared one experience when she'd been younger that her father had experienced as a child though it had impacted her in a much different way, made her even bolder to go out into the world and try new things. She knew their daughter would be a force to reckon with one day in whatever she chose to do.

"Yeah, she's been spending a lot of time with it lately," she said, "but I was like that at her age."

"Yeah me too…until I met the new girl on the block..."

She had to smile at that remembering back to when they'd first met when she'd been involved in a brawl with a bully in the schoolyard and then later by the secret fishing spot they both shared by the river that threaded through both of their properties.

"You were pretty cute back then even though I didn't say so."

His brows waggled.

"You were beyond cute…you were the prettiest girl in school."

And he wasn't lying when he said that because it had been true. It'd just taken him years to realize that she'd been the right woman for him. During the most challenging, painful chapters of their life as it turned out but their love endured through the gauntlets that life had tossed their way and come out the other side to fully flourish. She reached out and stroked one of his hands with her fingers.

"So what's on your plate at work," he asked.

She sipped her orange juice.

"Not much…I have to meet with Simon…"

"He's mellowed out hasn't he?"

She made a face.

"A bit but I really think he needs a girlfriend," she said, "He spends all his time at his desk when he's not out in the field."

Matt arched an eyebrow.

"You thinking of playing matchmaker with him?"

She shook her head.

"Tried that already, didn't work out."

Matt smiled knowing how much the veteran agent turned supervisor of the Houston office had driven his wife crazy over the years though they'd developed a deeply seated respect for one another over time.

"So what about you?"

Matt bit into some toast.

"I've got a couple of meetings," he said, "You know Christina called me about getting a new security system."

C.J. smiled.

"You mean Squeaky don't you, Rooster…."

Matt remembered the nicknames that he and his ex-girlfriend had given each other when they'd been hot and heavy back in college. But as much as they'd cared about each other, they'd been such different people. Something Matt had been reminded of when they'd reunited when she'd been in trouble and while they'd been out riding on his ranch after the bad guys had been rounded up and sent to jail. They'd parted ways back then and he'd gone back where C.J. had cheered him up by helping his frog, Rupert win a frog jumping contest. She'd flirted with him a little and he'd bit planting a kiss on her mouth that he'd wanted to finish but hadn't done.

But they'd shared plenty of them since and he planned on many, many more of them.

"She's got a new estate in Bel Air she wants a customized system for by the time she moves back from D.C."

"Her husband's not running for reelection to the Senate?"

Matt shrugged.

"Guess not…she didn't talk about him at all," he said, "She did say something about launching a new designer line."

"Well, I heard she did really well in the Paris and London shows," C.J. said, "Kyra's been keeping up on them."

"I should be done by about four so we can head to the airport…"

She nodded.

"Me too…I talked to Chris and the kids can head on over there after school," she said, "They're doing ice skating tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, "I think the boys are going to want to try out their hockey skills."

"Hopefully not on each other," she said.

Matt smiled knowing that due to being close together in age, both Royal and Ethan were very close but also very competitive with each other. He knew it'd work itself out but they'd had to intervene when the two butt heads often enough.

"Mom….Dad…"

Both of them looked up to see Gracie walk in, her thick hair tied back in a pony tail and wearing her usual attire of jeans and a button up shirt, like C.J. had favored when she'd been her age.

"What's up…how's the calf?"

Gracie looked serious…when Matt looked at her; he was reminded of his wife when they'd grown up together.

"She's fine…due for shots soon," Gracie said, "I hope she'll be okay."

"Honey you can check on her while we're gone," C.J. said, "and the hands will look out for her and the rest of the clan while you're at Chris and Dan's."

Gracie nodded, understanding that but Matt knew she loved spending time with her animals. She'd found another barn cat with kittens and had set up a box for them in the corner near the hayloft just last week.

"I know but I'll still miss her but at least she'll have Shadow to keep her company."

That'd be the gelding that Matt had gotten his daughter for her eighth birthday, the one she rode whenever she could saddle her up and take her around their spread.

"That's true," C.J. said, "It's only for a few days. You'll be okay won't you?"

Gracie looked at her in that direct way she had that also reminded Matt of a certain someone.

"Of course…and I'll keep Royal and Ethan in line I promise."

C.J. smiled at her daughter.

"I know you will, I can always count on you to do that."

That made Gracie smile because Matt knew she had confidence in her ability to cope with what life threw her way even at her young age. She'd been through so much already, too much so that she deserved to hold onto her youth.

C.J. drove into Houston to begin her schedule, hoping to get it finished so she could meet Matt and they could head to the airport to take one of the jets to Colorado. Zane, one of the pilots would be prepping the plane for takeoff so that they could spend the flight relaxing in the cabin. She woke up feeling a bit tired that morning but she knew why now. She wondered how Matt would take the news when she told him; after all it hadn't been planned.

Kyra had called her to tell her that Simon had gotten worked up about something so she knew she had to stop by the federal building first. But she had dropped by Cattle Annie's first to tell her the news and the retired doctor had promised her that she'd keep an eye on their spread while they were gone. Gracie had been spending time with Annie after school helping her out a couple days a week and the older woman had grown close with the girl she had delivered that stormy day.

The woman had smiled widely, her eyes crinkling when C.J. had told her what her four tests had told her.

"I see you cut down from six?"

C.J. had nodded.

"I… I was a bit surprised," she said, "I thought I was just working too hard."

Annie tilted her face.

"Well life's filled with surprises as I'm sure you know…I'm sure Matlock will be thrilled."

C.J. sighed.

"I hope so…we were looking forward to more alone time with the kids in school but I think he'll be fine with it."

Annie patted her shoulder.

"He'll be more than fine," she said, "I never saw a man who adored his family as much as he does…not that it ever surprised me."

C.J. knew that Matt loved her and the kids and the life they'd built for themselves. She knew he'd love this baby too even if it meant changing their plans. She'd have to cut back on field work again and maybe spend more time teaching. And then they'd both have to adjust their schedules again to factor in sleepless nights and hectic hours in between those nights.

Now driving, she saw that the traffic appeared to be pretty light as she saw the city limits ahead. The weather had been unseasonably warm but she knew that in Colorado, they'd been hit by snow storms so she and Matt likely would spend most of their time there holed up in the cabin warmed up by a nice fire.

Exactly the way they liked it.

She thought ahead to tonight when they'd be eating a late dinner in front of the fireplace celebrating some time alone together.

Matt got into the office and Dan told him that he had several clients to meet with during the time that Matt would be lunching with Christina. So he settled in his office and got to work on the preliminaries. She would be meeting him at the Zen Garden, more her cup of tea than his but he knew she had always been one to watch every morsel she ate to keep her figure trim for modeling.

He filled out paperwork for a preliminary file for her and answered some emails and phone calls from other clients. Brody had called him from L.A. to tell him that he and his Uncle Roy had finished up another successful case, helped this time by Roy's wife Sophia who had gone undercover in the beauty salon to smoke out an illicit black market on exotic products made from endangered species. With that case broken wide open, Roy and Sophia were going to celebrate by flying off to Maui for a week on a much deserved vacation.

Dan looked in the office to see Matt diligent at work.

"I'm going out to talk to Felton at the Barbecue Pit," he said, "Want me to bring you back anything?"

Matt smiled knowing that Dan knew that he wasn't going to find much that was palatable at the Zen Garden.

"If you can bring back a couple of spare ribs with that new sauce Tex has cooked up, I'd owe you one."

Dan nodded.

"So how long has it been since you and Christina last saw each other?"

Matt thought about it.

"Oh since she was framed for murder back in L.A.," he said, "We both knew that it wouldn't work out between us and she went and got married I heard to that senator."

"I heard a rumor that he's saying in DC while she heads back to L.A."

Matt hadn't been paying attention much to any rumors stemming from the political arena, a world he tried to stay away from whenever possible. But he'd assumed that everything had been going great between Christina and her husband. Maybe he'd been incorrect in that.

"She's interested in one of our security systems Dan."

His long-time friend and business partner looked back at him.

"I'm sure that's the case," he said, "have a good time at lunch."

Matt watched Dan walk away and refocused on his work. Just because he and Christina had been an item once didn't mean that anything would change when he'd show up at the restaurant to see her for the first time in a few years. He loved his wife and family more than anything and didn't want any other life.

But he did wonder what Christina wanted and why she really had wanted to have lunch with him…he supposed he'd find out soon enough.

C.J. sat in the conference room with Simon and a young woman who was a key witness in a major prostitution ring that reminded C.J. a lot of what had happened in Bannon County over a decade ago. This blonde woman named Sierra had been lured into the ring by promises of protection after being arrested on a disorderly charge that sounded to C.J. as bogus as the ones faced by her and Rhonda back at that bar back then.

Only Sierra had gotten much deeper into it than she had and while she sat there dressed in her faded jeans and faux fur jacket, she looked at one moment defiant and uncooperative, the next not being able to do anything else but look down at the glass of water in front of her.

C.J. had found out she had a baby daughter that her aunt had been taking care of after her disappearance. Simon had pressed Sierra to cooperate with them by emphasizing how her daughter would view her mother while growing up, which irritated the hell out of C.J. She might be assigned the good cop role in this questioning but if Simon kept acting like the "bad" one, she just finally might smack him like she'd been itching to do for the past 10 years.

Sierra looked at her, the black mascara smeared on her reddened face.

"I don't know what my baby's going to think of what her mama did," she said, "Maybe when she's old enough to tell I'll figure it out."

Simon just stared at her.

"Maybe…but what will happen when she reads about what you did online or her friends read it or their parents?"

Sierra's shoulders just sunk again and C.J. definitely could relate to her because she grappled with the same reality now that her own children were getting older. Mostly with Gracie who she knew would find out the truth about what her mother had experienced before her birth. And C.J. had been thinking a lot in recent months about how she would share the truth with her daughter so she wouldn't get it online or through her friends.

But Gracie was still too young to know all the graphic details of what it meant to be a survivor of human trafficking. She couldn't find the words yet to even begin to explain to an 11 year old about what that meant.

"I know about that too Sierra."

Simon just shot her a sharp glance and she shot one right back at him. He leaned back in his chair folding his arms. Sierra just looked at her skeptical.

"Oh you do don't you…how could you possibly know?"

C.J. smiled.

"I have a daughter, older than yours and I think about every day how it's going to be to tell her what happened to her mother."

Sierra tilted her head.

"About what…?"

C.J. sighed, looking down at her hands, still lined with silvery lines interwoven in her skin around her fingers, scars she got years ago. Sierra noticed them too.

"How'd you get that?"

"I cut my hands up on glass from breaking a window to escape," she said, "I was kidnapped and held captive by a trafficker named Andre Duval for over a month."

Sierra's eyes widened and C.J. knew she'd heard the name before somewhere.

"I heard of him…he was really bad to his women."

C.J. couldn't argue with that assessment though she knew other women fared worse with him and his organization including those left buried in unmarked graves or that had floated up on coastlines around the world.

All dead by his hand, she just hadn't been one of them.

"Yeah well after I tried to escape the first time, he sold me to a trafficker who was even worse."

Sierra's eyes narrowed and C.J. felt the woman begin to relax in her chair.

"I escaped…physically anyway one night," C.J. said, "but I still remained his prisoner for a long time afterward."

Sierra paused, digesting her words reaching for her glass of water to sip, to keep herself busy doing something to keep herself from thinking too much. C.J. understood that part of it too.

"So what are you going to tell your daughter…when she asks questions?"

C.J. had thought about that for so long and she still didn't have an answer so she just shook her head.

"I don't know…"

Matt walked into the Zen Garden and the waiter guided him to the booth in the back near a bay window that looked out into the garden Matt figured the place had been named after.

There she sat, her usual stylish self the way he'd remembered her. Wearing the latest fashionable threads, a silk dress and her dark hair neatly coiffed. Her face perfectly made up and ruby red lipstick on the mouth that curved into a smile when she looked up and saw him.

"Hi there," he said to her, "Good to see you again."

She smiled more broadly, this time with her eyes.

"Hi Rooster…."


	2. Chapter 2

Matt sat down across from Christina who had ordered a salad and a glass of wine.

"Hi Christina…"

If she noticed he hadn't responded to her greeting with his old nickname for her, she didn't say anything. She looked just as he remembered her, except for some fine lines on her face. But then it had been over 10 years since they'd sat face to face.

"Matt…It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah it has…but you look very good."

She smiled at that and nodded as if she'd expected that compliment.

"In my business, that's a job requirement…but thanks."

He caught a wistful look in her eyes but she covered it quickly enough with a smile.

"You look like life's been treating you well," she said, "but then you always were very handsome."

He smiled and ordered a sandwich plate before looking at her again. The waiter poured him a glass of wine from the bottle.

"So you're moving back to L.A.?"

She nodded.

"Yes…I've had enough of traveling all the time and decided to have a home base," she said, "Someplace to call home."

"Fair enough, and it's in Bel Air?"

She nodded again.

"Cost a fortune but I need my privacy," she said, "It gets crazy sometimes when you're in the spotlight."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Anyone giving you trouble?"

She shrugged.

"Oh I had a few admirers who turned out to be stalkers but lately since I'm behind the scenes, not as much. I just want a place I can retreat sometimes after each fashion season winds down."

He nodded understanding that well enough. Maybe a standard security system would do the job if there were no serious underlying safety risks. Once she had decided on the basics, he'd give her a questionnaire to fill out for more specific information.

"Anyone who might be more than you can handle?"

She sighed shaking her head.

"Matt I'm fine," she said, "It's just mostly like I said to have a place to escape to from the limelight."

"Okay just making sure Christina," he said, "because some of our clients do have to have customized systems based on security threats."

She smiled again.

"You've become very successful," she said, "You've come a long way from those days in L.A. when you were an investigator."

"I still do that type of work sometimes," he said, "and I test the systems out in the field to keep my skills sharp."

She paused looking at him carefully, he noticed.

"So how's life been treating you Matt?"

He sipped his wine.

"I'm married…"

"I heard…you married that woman…C.J…the one who always had a thing for you."

Matt smiled at that because it hadn't been as obvious to him nor had his own feelings for her. Kissing her that time after he'd said goodbye to Christina should have given him a hint but he had been obtuse back in his younger years, something time and maturity had taken care of thankfully enough.

"Yeah I married C.J. about 10 years ago and we live on a ranch outside of Houston with our three kids."

Her brows arched.

"You have children?"

He nodded happily.

"Yeah a daughter and two boys," he said, "They keep us very busy."

"I can imagine….I never pictured you as a father," she said, "I don't know why…but you just seemed so into your career."

"Life has a way of reminding you what's really important," he said, "Now that I have a family I can't imagine any other life."

She nodded, digesting that as she wiped the corner of her mouth.

"What about you Christina," he asked, "You got kids?"

She just looked at him a long moment and he thought he knew the answer. But finally she spoke, waving her hand a bit.

"Oh no…Mark and I, we talked about it but…."

Her voice drifted as she put her napkin down back in her lap.

"I…Mark and I are separated," she said, "That's why I'm moving out of D.C. and back to L.A."

Matt blinked his eyes, not sure what to say about that.

"I'm sorry Christina."

She shrugged, looking at him while her hands fidgeted in her lap.

"We were growing apart for a while," she said, "He's married to his job and so am I…more than we are to each other."

Matt just looked at her and saw the trace of sadness in her eyes. He had wanted nothing but happiness for her even though he knew it wouldn't come from a relationship with him.

"If there's anything I can do…"

She smiled suddenly.

"You're here having lunch with me and that's already helped," she said, "It's so good to see you again."

She reached out and put her hand on top of one of his resting on the table and he just looked at her.

C.J. sat in the conference room alone with Sierra after Simon had walked out to hunt down something for them to eat. She had been relieved when he'd left and Sierra had relaxed noticeably. But she sat there looking at C.J. as if not sure what to say next or to say anything at all. C.J. knew that feeling, when sometimes it seemed like the only way to protect yourself was through being silent.

"So how many kids do you have?"

C.J. looked up at Sierra.

"Three…my oldest is a daughter and I know she's going to ask me some hard questions some day."

Sierra folded her arms.

"You are going to tell her the truth then?"

C.J. paused and then she nodded.

"I just haven't figured out how to do that yet," she said, "It was all still going on around the time she was born. I was pregnant with her when I testified at the trial."

Sierra's eyes widened slightly and C.J. knew she'd spent a lot of time imagining what she might do when her case reached that point when she'd sit on the witness stand and tell her story.

Then have it ripped apart by the defense counsel.

"Were you alone…what about her father?"

C.J. smiled.

"He was with me in the audience," she said, "Just like he'd always been there. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have him in my life."

Sierra sighed and her eyes darkened.

"I don't have no one…my baby's father is long gone."

C.J. pursed her lips at the pain in the woman's voice.

"I'm sorry Sierra…you don't have any family at all?"

Sierra shook her head.

"Just my aunt and she thinks I'm no good."

C.J. had met her and found her to be a much harried woman but one who had been nice, who had stepped in and taken care of her baby when Sierra had been unable to do so but she knew the woman didn't see it that way. She felt like everyone was against her even those trying to help her.

"Sierra is it possible that you're the one who believes that?"

The woman looked at her, hostility flashing in her eyes suddenly, with her body taut and wired to bolt. C.J. just sat there calmly looking at Sierra.

"Look I understand what that's like…I was there myself," she said, "I hated myself for what that man made me do…what I had to do to survive and not wind up dead and buried."

Sierra's eyes remained focused on her.

"Yeah…I was a mess and I didn't have the time or space to be like that until he was brought down," she said, "Just like they're going to bring down the men who hurt you."

Sierra shook her head.

"No…no no one can do that," she said, "They're untouchable."

C.J. sighed.

"No one is that protected from accountability for what they did," she said, "I know it's hard to believe that but we're going to get them."

"How…?"

C.J. didn't miss a beat; she couldn't afford to do that. But then she'd done this so many times just like the person who had helped convince of the same thing her years ago.

"We need your help for that Sierra," she said, "We can't do it unless you tell us everything you know about these men…and that's going to be very hard to do to relieve some of the most painful times but you'll feel better when you take your life back."

Sierra looked skeptical and C.J. recognized that having been there herself.

"I know it's hard to believe that," C.J. said, "I went through it twice and the second time…it was like it was happening all over again but I worked so hard to get my life back and you know what, I love it now. I love what I do, I love my family and we're not the only ones who've had to fight so hard to get there."

Sierra nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly but C.J. saw her slow acceptance of her words.

"And many women never get that chance at all," C.J. said, "because they don't survive…and they don't have a voice except through those who do."

Sierra's eyes narrowed suddenly and C.J. knew she remembered the other women who had been imprisoned with her, the ones who hadn't made it back. The ones who perhaps had been killed in front of her as examples of how those who disobeyed would be punished…or maybe they just vanished one day.

"I know…," Sierra said, placing her hands over her face, "God I know…I saw women, girls die…heard their screams…at night."

C.J. closed her eyes, keeping her own memories at bay. She'd learned how to face them head on and Sierra would too. Underneath her fear and the hostility it fueled, lay a strong, resilient woman who had survived a nightmare and would be able to put it to rest someday just as C.J. had done.

Simon walked in just then with some soft drinks and sandwiches and just looked at the two women.

"Are you ready for some lunch?"

C.J. nodded, looking at Sierra who did too. After the food got doled out, they all ate in silence but C.J. felt a change in the other woman, one she recognized when it had been her in that chair.

Matt looked up at Christina while they were both eating their lunch at the restaurant. She hadn't said much more about Mark and what he'd been doing since they separated, except that now they were living on opposite coasts from one another.

"I shouldn't have ever married him …"

He glanced up at her.

"But you loved him," he said, "and if that's the case, then you shouldn't throw that away."

She glared at him suddenly.

"Matt, I married him barely six months after we met at a charity fundraiser," she said, "He seemed charming but after we got married, we hardly saw each other."

"Then you need to get together and change that," he said, "if your relationship's the most important thing."

She just folded her arms.

"But our careers…"

"They shouldn't matter more than each other," Matt said, "if you really love him like you say and he loves you."

"But…"

"No buts Christina," Matt said, "C.J. and I had a lot to work out with our careers but we did that because we decided we couldn't spend most of our time apart."

She just sighed at him.

"Oh Matt…Mark's not like that," she said, "And he's a major player in the national arena, not the owner of a security firm."

Matt just looked at her.

"I'm a family man first," he said, "and when the kids came along, I had to change my life because I couldn't be anywhere else and not see my kids grow up without a father being in the background."

"Like your father?"

Matt paused.

"My father loved me but his career took him away for long stretches at a time," he said, "I missed him a lot while growing up. I don't want the same for my children and maybe Mark…"

She shook her head.

"No…it's over now anyway," she said, "I already hired a lawyer."

Matt listened to the tone of finality in her voice and maybe she'd been right that she'd married Mark in haste. She certainly didn't seem intent on fighting for her marriage with him or there were other factors in play she didn't reveal.

"You're getting divorced?"

She nodded, sipping from her wine glass, her hand a little shaky this time.

"There are things I regret about my life Matt," she said, "I regret the way we ended."

He fingered his glass while looking at her.

"Christina…we were two very different people who fell in love once," he said, "but we both grew up."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh Matt…maybe we just needed some time away from each other," she said, "Maybe we did have something special that…"

"We did share some great times and I don't regret them," he said, "but we both moved on and I'm very happy with the life I'm living."

Christina looked puzzled shaking her head.

"But C.J….she's…"

"She's everything I ever wanted," Matt said, "I just had to grow up to realize that what I wanted most was right in front of me."

"Really…you can't be serious…I mean relationships don't last forever."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Maybe not all of them but I'm where I want to be," he said, "and I'm in love with my wife…our family and everything we've built together."

She tilted her face, fiddling with the coiffed hairdo. He knew if a strand worked itself loose from the orderly style, it'd drive her nuts. So different from the woman he married who looked beautiful but didn't concern herself so much about it.

"But we could just you know…keep it casual…"

Matt couldn't believe what he was hearing from Christina. He took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. Was she seriously trying to rope him into having an affair with her?

"Christina…I don't want casual…and I'm not sure that's what you want either," he said, "I think you still love your husband and you want to use me to get back at him…but I'm not interested."

He started to move away from the table.

"But Matt…"

He stopped and looked at her.

"If you're still interested in investing in a state of the art security system I can help you there," he said, "but the rest of it…you've got to work it out or not with your husband."

She sighed as he stood up.

"I'm sorry Matt…I didn't mean…"

He looked at her reading her, because after all, he had known her once.

"I know you didn't…I do believe that but that part of the conversation is over."

And with that, he walked away from her and out of the restaurant.

C.J. sat in her office going through her messages, sifting through phone calls from Rhonda who had gone on a European junket with her husband Jonathan and their two kids. She had received photos of the four of them in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Big Ben clock in London.

Kyra stuck her head inside the office.

"You almost done here," she said, "I was going to leave in an hour."

C.J. nodded.

"I got to meet Houston after I'm done writing this report," she said, "Our plane's leaving in several hours."

Kyra smiled.

"Getting away for Valentine's Day from the kids?"

C.J. smiled.

"That's the plan," she said, "It's been a while since we've had any alone time. We're both so busy these days."

"Well I know the feeling," Kyra said, "I'm going with Stuart to dinner at that new restaurant by the waterfront and then we're going to stay at a suite for the weekend."

"Sounds nice…Houston and I are going to stay in a cabin…probably snowbound."

"Sounds romantic…no need to go outside anyway if you've got everything you need inside right?"

C.J. couldn't argue with that logic. All she wanted was the time alone with Matt anywhere she could get him. She had realized during the day, during the time she'd spent with Sierra, how much she had struggled in her life, but how much she had gained as well. And how the man she'd loved her whole life had stood by her every step of the way no matter what. Just as she had stood by him without thinking, it had come as naturally to her as breathing.

She really wanted to tell him her news. She still didn't know how he'd respond, the first look she'd see on his face when she told him.

But she told herself again that she already knew the answer, because she knew him.

She met him on the tarmac next to the hanger where their plane was being prepped for its flight. It had already been stocked with plenty of food to eat and wine to drink while they flew for several hours to Denver International. When she saw him standing next to one of the mechanics talking with her, she saw that he'd changed into his casual duds which she had done at the office. Shedding her business attire for some faded jeans and a softly laundered peach colored shirt. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and when he looked up just then and caught her eyes, she just walked over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, without speaking.

She felt his hands around her waist and his lips brush against hers gently before they began kissing in earnest. When they finally parted, she had closed her eyes, the waft of his aftershave caressing her. He slid one arm around her as they started walking to the plane.

"You ready to go?"

She just nodded and so they left to board the plane while it made its final preparations.

They flew to Denver and when they left the airport in a rented car, Matt confessed that he had planned a surprise for her. Instead of heading straight to the ranch, they'd be spending the night in a nice hotel. She just smiled at him as they drove to a hotel where he'd booked a suite on the top floor.

After they got checked in and got settled, she got comfortable on the longue chair while he went to the wet bar.

"How about some champagne…to celebrate spending some time together…?"

She looked at him thoughtfully, weighing her words carefully.

"Does the bar carry a nonalcoholic brand?"

He looked at her suddenly, frozen and then he blinked his eyes. That told her that he had gotten the gist of the reasoning for her request. He nodded.

"I think there's some carbonated grape juice here somewhere."

He found it and poured them both glasses of the juice, bringing them to where she sat watching his reaction. But he sat by her on the couch first, wrapping his arm around her while he handed her a glass. She sipped it slowly still looking at him.

"Houston…."

He stroked her face, so tenderly that she felt her eyes sting.

"I take it this means…"

She nodded wordlessly, looking at him and then watched the emotions play out in his face. Joy, wonder and most of all love…and she felt the warmth fill her as she moved closer to him, putting her glass down.

"You're…"

"Pregnant Houston…look I know it wasn't planned and it just happened…maybe it was the anniversary weekend…"

He smiled then, caressing her arm with his hand.

"Maybe….wow…"

"You're surprised," she said, "I've had more time to get used to it since I found out this morning."

He reached for one of her hands and rubbed it with his own.

"I'm thinking that this is the best Valentine's Day present I've ever received."

She heard the tightness in his voice and knew that he meant it as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead before his lips found hers again.

"Maybe Gracie will get that sister she's always wanted."

Matt looked at her face, filled with joy that mirrored his own.

"So how you feeling," he said, "You okay?"

She nodded.

"A little tired but otherwise fine," she said, "Very happy Houston…"

He smiled at her.

"We'll make sure you get plenty of rest then," he said, "and relaxation."

She smiled against him because he always took such good care of her. It would get hectic again soon enough when the baby was born but for now, they would enjoy the anticipation. They both knew how short life could prove to be, how fraught with difficulty and unpredictability…you had to embrace its joys where you found them and its gifts.

So right now with a few days together ahead of them, she just lay against him forgetting everything else but the two of them.

Matt did the same too, because after all, he knew of no where in the world he'd rather be.


End file.
